“Whoever can protest to his household and does not, is accountable [for the sins] of his household; if he could protest to his townspeople, he is accountable for their sins; if he could protest to the whole world, he is accountable for the whole world.” – Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 54b

The recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the staggering racial disparities highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic are extremely painful reminders of the deep-rooted systemic racism that continues to devastate our country and tear at our social fabric. They are also reminders of the work that we must do to ensure racial equity for all as we pursue a just world in line with our Jewish values.

Our hearts are heavy as we think about our communities and what they are currently facing. Repair the World stands with those who are on the frontlines peacefully protesting. We remain committed to serving our communities during this time, as we continue to see and hear the ways Repair cities have taken action. Now is the time for all of us to act, to seize this moment in order to realize meaningful change.

Our mission to mobilize Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world is more important now than ever. We are proud that many of our volunteers, Fellows, and staff have joined protests and are walking alongside their Black colleagues, Black community members, and Jews of Color. Here are a few ways you can take action today, by learning and supporting the fight for racial justice:

LEARN

Read this account from Black Jews responding to George Floyd protests in their own words

Volunteer locally and volunteer often. Volunteering brings us closer to our neighbors and builds community across lines of difference. Communities are aware that an increase in crowds will lead to an increase in needs in the wake of COVID-19. Serving your community is needed now more than ever.

Donate to local organizations fighting for racial justice in your community

Amplify voices of Black Americans and People of Color on social media and in all of your platforms and networks

We must continue to build the bridge between serving alongside our communities and pursuing racial justice. Through the power of service we can act in solidarity. Learning from teachings by Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, we know that service offers the opportunity to get proximate to the issues plaguing our communities, to build relationships, and to understand what is broken in our systems from the people who are most impacted. As we continue to mobilize thousands to combat food injustice and education inequity, we recommit to engaging our volunteers in learning about the systemic racism that makes that service necessary.

We lift up the voices who are often silenced and we stand with those who have been forced to stand for generations. We are continuing to educate ourselves to learn how to elevate the voices of Black Americans and People of Color while not putting the burden of change on them.

We have a long way to go. We are committed to working beyond this moment, listening deeply, showing up, strengthening our partnerships with those actively working towards racial equity, and living our Jewish values.

Approaching a new organization and a new project is a skill in itself, so we thought that we would give you somewhere to get started. Here are some tips inspired by one of our favorite Jewish quotes from the Jewish wisdom book, Pirkei Avot2:

Who is one that is wise? One who learns from every person, as it is said: “From all my teachers have I gained understanding.” (Psalm 119:99)

Hold a learning posture. You might know tips, tricks, and best practices for a given project, but make sure that you are also listening deeply to the needs of the non-profit and their community. Then you can mesh the two together to create the most helpful outcomes.

Who is mighty? One who conquers their impulse to evil, as it is written, “One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one who rules over their spirit than one who conquers a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)

Be patient. The non-profit that you are matched to might not have experience working with a consultant, and helping them share their needs and the most useful information to you might not always feel ‘efficient’ to you.

Who is rich? One who is happy with their portion, as it says (Psalms, 128:2), “If you eat of toil of your hands, fortunate are you, and good is to you”; “fortunate are you” in this world, “and good is to you” in the World to Come.

Be content. Sometimes the most important work is the least ‘sexy.’ Sticking with this opportunity will create short-term and long-term benefits for everyone involved._______________________________

Who is honored? One who honors the creations, as it says, “Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who scorn Me will be despised” (I Samuel 2:30)

Be respectful. If you extend respect, you will be respected, and that positive relationship will make for the best experience and the best work!

Learning about the work:

You have the opportunity to volunteer with organizations with a wide variety of missions. Those that we are bringing onto the platform focus on addressing poverty and its reverberations on local, national, and global scales. There is way more to say about these topics than we could fit into a few paragraphs, but we’ve collected some resources for you to check out to learn more about why these issue areas are so important.

As you read, watch, and listen, consider what surprises you, what do you want to know more about and how might what you are learning influence your approach to volunteering.

Read

PBS has compiled a cache of articles related to the role of race in history, science and society on their interactive webpage, Race: The Power of an Illusion

Understanding Poverty in California (1:58) from the Public Policy Institute of California. This short video gives a brief introduction to what poverty looks like today in California, today. Though the examples are from California, they are similar to what happens around the US and in many wealthy countries.

1619 Project Podcast from the New York Times Magazine “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”

NPR’s Codeswitch Podcast discusses race “from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between,” on a local, national, and international level.

In Jewish tradition, kavannah, or intention, comes from the same root as the word for “direction,” meaning that building up and constantly honing our intentions will help us stay on the path towards a more just world.

To get you started, find inspiration for intention setting and reflection, here are a few resources that we love to return to:

This originally appeared in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle on May 6, 2020.

The need for East End Cooperative Ministry’s (EECM) food pantry has escalated in the midst of the global health crisis. Repair the World Pittsburgh Fellows have continued to support EECM by assisting to pack and distribute food.

Jewish tradition is inspired by rabinnical sages, who would open their doors when they ate meals and said, “Whoever is in need, let that person come and eat.” [Ta’anit 20b]

During these unprecedented times of need, Repair the World’s commitment to support our nonprofit service partners in feeding people who are food insecure is unwavering. To express that support, Repair launched Spring Into Solidarity,a fundraising race to mobilize Jews and their communities to show up for our partner organizations on the front lines of COVID-19 relief efforts.

The Great Big Jewish Food Fest is collaborating with Repair the World to support 15 partner organizations raising at least $1,000 each. All funds raised will go directly to each organization to help meet their immediate and rising needs resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.

If you would like to give generally to the Spring Into Solidarity fund, donate here. If you’re looking to donate to a specific organization across Repair’s nine communities, use the partner guide below to learn more and donate. Thank you for your support!

REPAIR THE WORLD’S FOOD JUSTICE PARTNERS:

ATLANTA

Concrete Jungle
Concrete Jungle transforms overlooked and underutilized fruit trees and land into a year-round food source for food banks, shelters and people in need. Donate here.

St. John’s Bread & Life
St. John’s Bread & Life works to alleviate hunger and poverty in Brooklyn and Queens is serving to-go breakfast and lunch and pantry bags to clients in Brooklyn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donate here.

DOROT
DOROT addresses the challenges of an aging population and serves more than 3,500 older adults each year who are homebound, homeless or need to be connected to their greater community. Donate here.

MIAMI

Health in the Hood
Health in the Hood connects low-income families to healthy, free, local food by transforming vacant land into vibrant vegetable gardens and teaching wellness workshops. Donate here.

Just Harvest
Just Harvest educates, empowers and mobilizes people to eliminate hunger, poverty, and economic injustice by influencing public policy, engaging in advocacy, and connecting people to public benefits. Donate here.

Jewish Association on Aging
The mission of the Jewish Association on Aging is to honor and enhance the lives of older adults by providing a continuum of individualized, quality care consistent with Jewish values and tradition. Donate here.

“For organizations run by, funded by, or serving women and non-binary people, the crisis is hitting even harder. The already fragile and gendered ecosystem of nonprofit organizational support is showing even more significant signs of collapse for women’s organizations.

We want to examine why this is happening, and how you can help address these critical issues this #GivingTuesdayNow.”

For many Jewish millennials, living far from family and remaining socially distant from friends, virtual Shabbat dinners have offered a way into community, tradition, and what it means to serve others.

During the Coronavirus pandemic direct service organizations are still mobilizing to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable. National Council of Jewish Women CEO, Sheila Katz, NCJW Board of Directors Vice President, Rabbi Lori Koffman, Repair the World CEO and President, Cindy Greenberg, and American Jewish World Service – AJWS Global Ambassador, Ruth Messinger shared ways on how one can help serve their community during this time.

This originally appeared in The New York Jewish Week on April 29, 2020.

“Several other Jewish groups have expanded their work with seniors since the coronavirus crisis began…Volunteers from Repair the World, the Jewish service organization, deliver food packages to isolated Holocaust survivors in South Brooklyn and keep in touch as pen pals, said Rachel Figurasmith, executive director of Repair the World NYC.”

Mutual Aid initiatives have sprouted up to meet the needs of people across our communities. These networks have gained momentum in order to provide necessary relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our communities. Many Repair the World staff and Fellows are directly involved in mutual aid efforts. Check out our #MutualAid campaign where you can learn more about what it is and how to get involved to support your neighbors!

Want to talk with a member of our team? Contact [email protected] to get connected or to share information about your mutual aid initiatives. Posted below are a sampling of initiatives across our communities that you can get involved with today.

The Wellness Collective created the Community Delivery Hotline to ensure that folks with limited transportation and resources have access to their basic needs. Sign up to get resources delivered to you or volunteer to be a driver, intake coordinator, or switchboard operator.

Need support and/or can you provide relief to others? Get involved with the Pittsburgh Mutual Aid network!

Fundraise for or donate to the PGH Artists Emergency Fund to provide relief for artist/industry folks, many of whom cannot access unemployment and have lost all sources of income for the duration of the pandemic.

Comprehensive listing of resources and information for aid in the Baltimore area.

Chicago

Seniors, those living with disability, and folks living in food deserts are most at risk with the continual spread of the virus. Chicago Repair is working with partner: My Block, My Hood, My City to deliver groceries as well as response packages, to ensure access to hand sanitizer, health supplements, toiletries and food; to participate, email [email protected]!

Mutual Aid brings together many elements which we value at Repair the World. Volunteers engage with their communities to build and reify relationships across differences. Mutual Aid brings people together to directly address many of our major concerns, such as food insecurity, criminal justice, education justice and housing. Let’s work together to build communities we wish to live in, where all people can thrive together!

This originally appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on April 23, 2020.

Concrete Jungle and Repair the World Atlanta have partnered to create food depots in Atlanta and Decatur, where volunteers deliver groceries to those in need. Also, mentioned are 100 other ways Atlantans can help during the COVID-19 pandemic.